


All That Time

by Leafus



Category: The Devil All the Time (2020)
Genre: M/M, Mentions of Cancer, Mild Blood, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:27:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26525206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leafus/pseuds/Leafus
Summary: Troubled past behind him, Arvin sets out to make a new life for himself wherever and whoever with that life might take him.
Relationships: Arvin Russell/Original Male Character
Comments: 17
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Quick note, if you know my other work, you know I’m terrible at doing more than one chapter of anything. I do wanna continue this, but I like to think it’s at least partially written so that it could remain a one shot. Either way, I hope you enjoy!!
> 
> Also super small detail change from the end of the movie, instead of a VW bus, it’s a pickup truck. I don’t know why I changed it, I just felt the bus was kinda too silly.

“Where you headed?” Charlie asked, looking sidelong at the man in the baseball cap he’d picked up from the side of the road as he continued to drive.

“Hadn’t quite thought that part out yet. Where’re you headed?” He replied, looking out the back of the truck before getting settled in the passenger seat, bag between his legs.

“Cincinnati, that work for you?”

“Cincinnati? Sure, I’d been meaning to get up there one of these days,” The man said, smiling shortly before turning away.

“Well alright. Name’s Charlie, by the way,” he said, offering a hand over to the other man who seemed to bounce and jitter around in his seat.

“Arvin,” he replied, giving that same quick smile as he shook the offered hand before turning back to look out the window.

“Pleasure to meet you, Arvin. I should warn you, it’s a bit of a stretch between here and the city. Might do ya good to rest up a bit,” Arvin’s head snapped to look at Charlie at the suggestion, a mix of fear and suspicion in his eyes that Charlie didn’t notice. “Of course if you’re looking to see the sights that’s perfectly understandable as well. There’s a big ol’ lake coming up in a couple dozen miles or so. Ain’t seen it myself but I’ve heard it’s nice.”

Arvin didn’t respond to Charlie’s ramblings, merely narrowing his eyes in contemplation. Falling asleep next to a stranger wasn’t ideal, especially after what he’d been through, but he couldn’t help the yawn that escaped his mouth and the fact that his eyes began to droop. Not long after, Arvin’s head bobbled as he was fast asleep.

Charlie looked over a few minutes later and smiled softly at the man lightly snoring next to him. “Probably for the best, man looked like he needed some shuteye,” he thought to himself. He turned back to the road and started to hum a light tune as they continued on their path.

—- 2 hours later -—

“Arvin. Hey, Arvin. Wake up,” Charlie said, gently shaking the other man out of his slumber. Arvin awoke with a jolt, grabbing Charlie’s hand before throwing a punch to his face, knocking him back in his seat.

“Shit, fuck I’m so sorry I—,” He started to say before Charlie held up a hand to shut him up.

“Naw, I get it, I get it. We ain’t hardly met so of course your guard’d be up and here I go gettin’ all in your face. That one’s on me, all good,” Charlie said, holding his nose with one hand which started to bleed. “You sure got one helluva punch though.”

“I’m so sorry,” He apologized again, grabbing a dirty rag from his pocket, “Here, least let me get this.” Arvin took the rag and held it gently to Charlie’s nose, trying to soak up the blood. He looked up as he was dabbing his face and their eyes met briefly before turning away.

“Ahem, right. I think I got it from here, thanks,” Charlie smiled shortly, grabbing the rag from Arvin and looking down at the dark red spots that covered it, “Seems like this sorta thing happens often, eh?” Charlie chuckled uncomfortably.

Arvin didn’t respond, instead looking down at his hands which were shaking lightly, remembering all the things he’d done with them. After a moment, he grabbed onto his other hand to steady himself before looking back up at Charlie who was too preoccupied with stemming the flow of blood to notice.

“Anywho, as you might’ve noticed, we’re at the lake. That’s why I woke you,” Charlie said, smiling as best he could from behind the rag. Having soaked up most of the blood, Charlie got out of the truck and walked over to the edge of the lake. He looked out over the deep blue water which reflected the dying light of the sunset from behind the trees across the water.

Arvin looked out of the truck at the man standing by the water, thinking back to the last time he was at a lake with strangers, shuddering. Then he smiled, remembering a quip from Lenora about assuming the best in all people and his eyes started to well up. He shook his head of the thought and got out of the truck to walk over to where Charlie was standing.

“Ain’t she a beaut?” Charlie asked, smiling at the other man with one eye closed to avoid the glare of the reflected light off the lake.

“Yeah,” Arvin said, giving a small smile in return that didn’t reach his eyes.

“I hope you’re not still moping over that bit back there. I’m a big boy, and lord knows I can take a lick,” Charlie huffed, offering a hand to the other man, “Water under the bridge, ya hear?”

Arvin stared briefly at the outstretched hand, brows furrowed with confusion. “Sure, okay. Water under the bridge,” he said, returning the handshake.

“Great, now we should probably be heading on,” Charlie said, clapping Arvin on the back before walking back towards the truck.

Arvin watched as the man walked back to the truck, confused and put off by his uncommon politeness. He turned back again to the lake, readily losing its light as the sun sank further and further behind the trees. “Lenora would’ve loved this, she is indeed a beaut,” Arvin thought to himself. Wiping his eyes and sniffling, he turned to head back to the truck.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two men run into some slight car troubles and Charlie continues to remind Arvin of the sister he lost.

The two drove in relative silence as the moon rose overhead. Charlie quickly caught on that Arvin wasn’t much for talking, so he had kept the questions to a minimum allowing Arvin to listen and nod along as he prattled on. Arvin didn’t mind, of course. It brought him back to a time not long ago when he and Lenora had driven to the market the next town over and she had talked the entire time. About what he couldn’t recall, but he’d happily listened like he did now with Charlie. Charlie actually reminded Arvin quite a bit of Lenora, both having somewhat of a childlike wonder and innocence to them.

“You been baptised?” Arvin blurted out, surprising even himself and interrupting whatever Charlie had been in the middle of saying.

“Pardon?” Charlie replied, surprised but happy to have finally broken through Arvin’s tough exterior.

“I-I mean...do you believe in God?” Arvin asked, unsure of why he even spoke and wishing he hadn’t.

“‘Course. Mama didn’ raise no heathen,” Charlie chuckled lamely, “Though, between yous, me, and Him, I ain’t much one for churches. It’s been an awful minute since I last stepped foot in one. But I reckon knowing he’s around, along with a prayer or two here and there, that ought to be just enough to keep me on his good side.”

Arvin didn’t respond, hands beginning to shake as he thought back to the last time he was in a church; back to the lifeless eyes of the preacher as he stared up at Arvin, the shock permanently etched onto his face in the moment before Arvin pulled the trigger; back to the hot brass casing from the bullet that he wasn’t able to grab before he fled, leaving a trail that led back to him and his fam—

“How about you? Are you a godless heathen, or a saintly church boy?” Charlie said sarcastically, interrupting Arvin’s thoughts almost as if on purpose, “I reckon it’s the latter. You’ve got church boy written all over you.”

“No I-I’m not much one for church either,” Arvin mumbled, shaking his earlier thoughts from his head.

“No? Shoot, guess I was wrong then,” Charlie snickered, turning to grin at Arvin before turning back to the road, “Shit!”

Charlie slammed on the brakes as a deer leaped out of the darkness of the trees and right in front of the truck, but it was too late. The truck came to a screeching halt as it collided with the deer, sending it a few feet into the air. Charlie’s knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, jaw slack with disbelief while Arvin held onto the dashboard, eyes wide and alert.

“Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck!” Charlie exclaimed, slightly panicked with tears in the corners of his eyes.

“We should—we should go check on it,” Arvin said, releasing a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

Charlie didn’t respond, just nodded his head as he tried fruitlessly to calm down. He shuddered as he stepped out into the cool August air, unsure if it was the temperature or recent events that made him feel so cold. Both men approached the dying—yes, _dying_ —animal as it kicked its legs wildly in its panicked state. Charlie held a hand over his mouth, choking back a sob over the injured creature while Arvin knelt down over the beast trying to calm it down to no avail.

“We need to—,” Arvin stopped when he looked up at Charlie who was completely shaken by the event.

He recalled a time long ago when Lenora had found a rabbit on its last legs, seemingly bitten by a fox or dog. She cried for that thing long into the night, even going as far as to pray for it in church the following Sunday. Sighing, Arvin stood up and put a hand on Charlie's back, rubbing small circles to soothe the other man while his body shuddered, fighting back tears.

“Go back to the truck, I’ll um...I’ll take care of this,” Arvin said, giving Charlie a few pats on the back before kneeling back down to the flailing creature.

Again, unable to speak, Charlie nodded silently before turning to head back to the truck. He clambered into the driver’s seat and unable to hold it in any longer, released a sob. He clutched the steering wheel, leaning his head down as the sobs racked through his body. He jumped slightly when his door opened and there stood Arvin, wiping his hands on the rag covered in his blood from earlier.

Without a word, Arvin held a hand up to him and understanding the gesture, he nodded, sniffling as he took the offered hand that led him out of the driver’s seat and into the passenger’s seat. Once he was situated, Arvin shut the door and walked back around the truck to the driver’s seat, climbing in. Looking over at Charlie who had already started to doze off, Arvin started the truck and once again the two men were on their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I think it’s a little shorter than the first one. Still no promises about continuing, but I really had it in my head when I wrote the first chapter that Charlie is essentially Lenora but male (with my own added touches, of course), and I had a few ideas about going about that that I might try to make work.
> 
> Anyways, I hope y’all enjoyed it!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arvin and Charlie need to refuel and unload.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a bit longer to do. Kinda losing steam, and also this one just feels lower-quality to me but I convinced myself that any quality is better than no quality, right? Right.
> 
> Also just an FYI, I’ve no idea how gas stations worked back then. I tried to keep it semi-believable, but it definitely feels a little modern and/or outlandish to me, so sorry if y’all were looking for historical accuracy. I’m trying my best.

When Charlie opened his eyes, he was nearly blinded by the light pouring in from the sun. Quickly, he covered his eyes with one hand while using the other to stifle a yawn that forced its way out of him. He glared up at the sun, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“How—six hours!” He exclaimed, looking at the clock on the dashboard, “Why didn’t you wake me?”

Arvin looked over at the dishevelled man with a wry smile and shrugged his shoulders. Truth be told, Arvin missed Charlie’s frequent ramblings that passed the time and distracted him from his thoughts. The other man clearly needed the sleep though and Arvin was content to give it to him. Though they’d only know each other less than a day, to Arvin it felt like years and he couldn’t quite peg why.

“You should’ve woke me. Need me to take over?” Charlie asked, checking over the other man for obvious signs of fatigue.

“Mm-mm,” Arvin grunted in response, “We need to stop for fuel soon. Tank’s running low.”

“How far ‘re we from the next town?” Charlie asked, looking out at the endless line of trees ahead of them for a sign.

“Sign ‘bout a mile back said ‘bout a mile an’ a half,” Arvin replied, rubbing the back of his neck, “but uh…”

“What?” Charlie asked, concerned.

“I’m a little short on cash…,” Arvin muttered, looking at Charlie apologetically.

“Oh, is that all?” Charlie snorted, “I think you driving for six hours and not killing me in my sleep can afford you a tank of gas. Don’t worry about it.”

“I ain’t one for handouts, I-I’ll find some way to pay you back,” Arvin snapped, causing Charlie to jump a little.

“Alright, alright,” Charlie said, holding his hands up placatingly, “Gotta long way to the city, I’m sure you’ll find some way to pay me back along the way.”

A few minutes later driven in silence, the line of trees finally broke as they drove by various farmsteads and homes. Arvin started to slow the truck down as they drove through the residential area, pulling off into the gas station. Arvin stopped the car and shut it off, cautiously looking around.

“You fill the tank while I go in and pay, yeah?” Charlie said, looking to the other man for his approval. Arvin nodded his head and both men hopped out of the truck.

A man sat in a rocking chair blithely smoking a cigarette a few feet away from the pump. He nodded to Charlie as he walked by into the building behind him. Arvin, meanwhile, grabbed the pump’s hose and stuck it in the tank, flipping the switch to turn the pump on. As he held onto the hose waiting for it to fill, his mind was drawn back to a distant memory of a gas station where his daddy had beaten several men who’d talked shit about his mama. Arvin was never sure if his daddy had killed one of them but he was sure it didn’t matter.

“We good?” Charlie asked, walking back towards Arvin and the truck.

“Wha-oh. Yeah,” Arvin replied, shaking the fog from his head. He looked over at Charlie who was counting an unusually large roll of bills. Charlie looked up and Arvin quickly turned away, face heating up with embarrassment and shame.

“How ‘bout I take over for a bit? Let you rest some,” Charlie said, stuffing the roll in his back pocket, holding his hand out for the keys.

“Okay,” Arvin said, dropping the keys in his hand.

Arvin flipped off the switch to the pump and took the hose out of the tank, hanging it back up next to the pump. Crossing over to the other side of the truck, he looked over at the man in the chair who nodded to him. He nodded back before getting into the truck alongside Charlie. Without a word, the two got back onto the main road and continued their journey.

“‘Fore I left home, ‘bouta week or so ago, my mama passed an’ left me the farm an’ such,” Charlie said, solemnly causing Arvin to turn and look at him, “Cancer, ya see? Fucking cancer…. Anyway, it’d just been her and me in that house since long as I could remember. Then suddenly she’s gone...and I—I tried to stick around, I did, but I just kept seein’ her everywhere, hearin’ her voice an’ all. So’s I did what I had to, I sold the house, the farm, the whole lot to our neighbour, Joe, who’d been looking to expand for months now anywho so it was really a win-win, I guess, when you look back on it.”

Arvin stared at the other man whose eyes were fixated on the road ahead, silently processing what’d been said. He thought back to his own mama who’d passed similarly and found himself nodding in mutual understanding. It seemed they shared something in common, they’d both lost someone.

“Some people were born just so they could be buried,” Arvin whispered aloud to himself.

Charlie heard him and glanced over at the other man who was too lost in his thoughts to notice. He nodded his head in understanding, turning back to the road which had quickly gone back to long stretches of trees and nothing else as they left the small town.

“Guess so,” he mumbled, “guess so.”


End file.
